Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.13.44
Mukti· LiberationThe Eternal Soul Exists to Serve
“O King, in all circumstances, whether you consider the soul to be an eternal principle, or the material body to be perishable, or everything to exist in the impersonal Absolute Truth, or everything to be an inexplicable combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation are due only to illusory affection and nothing more.”
What the purport teaches
- Every living being is an individual part and parcel of the Supreme Being. Our constitutional position is subordinate, cooperative service.
- The living being is eternal, while the material body is temporary and perishable. By the law of karma, the soul passes from one material body to another.
- The living being remains under the Supreme Lord’s control in both conditioned and liberated life. Understanding the eternal soul and the changing body removes the basis for bewildered lamentation.
Try this today
Spend one quiet minute reflecting: “The body is temporary; the living being is eternal and meant for cooperative service.”
Ask yourself
How might seeing yourself and others as eternal servants of the Lord reshape your feelings about separation?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.